Bewildered Family Guide to Yorkshire – Knaresborough

The latest Bewildered Family Guide to Yorkshire video sees the kids and me take a trip to beautiful Knaresborough. Have a look at the video from our family day in Knaresborough:

Yes, 30 years after wishing to become a rabbit and being freaked out by the possibility of the world ending, I braved a return to Knaresborough. We had a great day in the sunshine and really explored this beautiful North Yorkshire market town, hitting all the major tourist sights.

Mother Shipton’s Cave

Mother Shipton’s Cave is such a bizarre place when you think about it. It is based around the legend of a woman who may or may not have predicted the future (there were quite a few books of her prophecies written hundreds of years later that made up predictions to fit events – like a pre-internet fake news assault). There’s a cave in which she is said to have been born, a well that turns teddies to stone, a wishing well and a play park. It’s a random mix, but you can spend a good deal of time there and we enjoyed ourselves a whole bunch.

The kids were genuinely enthralled by it all and I hope the memories stick with them in the way they did with me. I visited when I was a little older than Elsa and, aside from the disappointment of not turning into a rabbit and the sheer terror relating to the bridge falling down, I thought it was a magical place. Actually, when I went was probably when it was still partly owned by Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee, so that may have played a part!

Knaresborough Castle

Knaresborough is such a photogenic place, particularly when you climb up to the castle. Not only is the castle itself pretty charming, but the view the other way is spectacular. Looking up the river towards the viaduct is breathtaking. Seth was particularly chuffed with it as it gave him a clear view of the trains that run over the viaduct on a regular basis.

The castle is pretty much a wreck, but there is enough remaining to cut a striking figure on top of the hill above the River Nidd. It’s a long way up from the river (we did try counting the steps but were distracted halfway up), so you might want to park at the top in what, as we mention in the video, is apparently comedian Jon Richardson’s favourite car park. I’m assuming, that’s because of the view because there’s not a great deal else to sell it as a hot destination on the Knaresborough tourist map.

Knaresborough Viaduct

Knaresborough viaduct is such an iconic sight that you can’t help but be impressed by it. It towers above the river and must appear in 90% of the pictures taken in the town! I’ll be honest, it seemed fairly solid when we visited, so Mother Shipton’s prediction that the world would end when it fell for the third time (it has already been destroyed twice) might go unproven for a few years. Fingers crossed.

Family Days Out in Knaresborough

If you are looking for a day out with the kids in Yorkshire, then Knaresborough has to be right up there with the best. You can combine it with a visit to Harrogate, or a trip into the Dales perhaps. Knaresborough is close to the A1 and well connected for plenty of other places in Yorkshire, so there’s no excuse to miss out.